Car-coupling



(No Model.) I a H. DEITZ.

UAR UOUPLING.

Patented June 2, 1896.

A [W B GRAHAMPHOTOUTNQWABMNGTDEEC.

NITE STATES ATENT OFFICE.

HENRY DEITZ, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO J. ELLSlVORTII GROSS,LUELJA ZEARING GROSS, JAMES H. ZEARING, AND LUCINDA HELMER ZEARING, OFCOOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS.

CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 561 ,542, dated June 2,1896.

n Application filed November 5, 1895. Serial No. 568,021. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, HENRY DEITZ, a citizen of the United States,residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, haveinvented a new and useful Improvement in Car- Couplers, of which thefollowing is a specification.

My invention relates to vertical-hook couplers of the MasterCar-Builders type; and its objects are to provide a coupler that needsno attention beyond setting a certain pin in a given position whenuncoupling is desired, the subsequent steps in uncoupling and in thenext subsequent coupling being wholly automatic; that may have itscouplingknuckle forced to open or to close by actuating a simplehand-lever; that may, when desired, be set to avoid automatic coupling,and that shall have unusually few and simple parts, and shall becomparatively inexpensive to manufacture.

In the drawings, Figure 1 shows a section on the linel 1, Fig. 3, theknuckle being in locked position. Fig. 2 is a like view showing thedevices in their uncoupled positions. Fig. 3 is a section on the line 33 of Fig. 1, the locking-pin being lifted. Fig. 4 is a section on theline 4 4, Fig. 2.

In the figures, A represents a draw-head, K a knuckle pivotally mountedthereon in the usual manner, and P a locking-pin adapted to work in asuitable vertical passage through the draw-head and a correspondingknuckleperforation K which registers with said passage when the knuckleis in coupled position. Above the plane of the knuckle the passage isenlarged in such manner that the pin, when raised above said plane, maybe inclined so that its end rests upon the knuckle at one side of theperforation K when the knuckle is in coupled position, as in Fig. 3.That the pin so placed may not accidentally slide back into verticalposition and again drop into the perforation its lower end is adapted 5to engage with the upper side of the knuckle,

as shown, the engagement being by means of lugs P K upon the pin andknuckle, respectively. Now it is evident that if the pin be so set whilethe knuckle is in its coupled po- 50 sition, Fig. 1, the knuckle is freeto swing open or to its uncoupled position, Fig. 2, and that as it thusswings it will slide beneath the pin P. After the perforation I hasadvanced slightly by such swinging it is immaterial whether or not thepin maintains its inclination, for it can then by no possibility enterthe perforation until a reverse movement of the knuckle occurs. Thepins' possible inclination is limited by the walls of the passage, andwhatever its inclination as the knuckle swings open the pin sooner orlater drops into a channel K in the upper face of the knuckle, extendingfrom the perforation K across all. possible paths traced by the end ofthe pin. WVhen this happens, the pin is thereafter guided by thechannel, and if, by meeting another similar coupler or otherwise, theknuckle is swung back to its coupled position the channel graduallylessens the inclination of the pin and finally guides it into theperforation K where it drops vertically, securely locking the knuckle incoupled position.

, In uncoupling, the pin is raised by any suitable device and is causedto simultaneously assume the proper inclination by having the raisingdevices attached at P upon one side of its axial line. If, then, the pinbe simply raised and then released when uncoupling is desired, theapparatus requires no further attention until such future time as it isto be again uncoupled, perhaps from another car, for when the pin hasbeen raised separation of the coupled cars completes the uncoupling andleaves the parts in position to couple automatically with any like opencoupler.

It is sometimes desirable to prevent auto matic coupling as, forexample, when cars are left upon a siding in position to be (3011- pledby the careless shunting of other cars. If, after uncoupling, theknuckle be swung again to coupled position, the pin looks it, andcoupling is impossible until the pin is again lifted and the knuckleswung open. To aid in thus closing or opening the coupler for anypurpose, a lever L is detachably pivoted in the wall of the draw-headwith its outer arm projecting therefrom and its other arm, L extendinginto a recess K in the back of the knuckle. The pin P being set as abovedescribed, when the outer arm L of the lever is pulled outward the arm Lpressing the wall of the recess K forces the knuckle to swing open, thepin, meantime, sliding over the knuckle and dropping into the channel Kand when the arm L is pushed inward the other arm presses the oppositewall of the recess and forces the knuckle to swing to coupled position,the pin, meanwhile, traveling along the channel and at the end of themovement falling vertically in the perforation K It is to be observedthat this coupler has few parts, none of which require fitting ormachine-work, that it combines the advantages of automatic andnon-automatic couplers, and that its movements are positive andindependent of rust and ordinary accumulations of dirt.

What I claim is- 1. In a coupler of the class described, the combinationwith a suitable draw-head, of a knuckle pivoted thereto, and a loose,normally vertical pin lockin g the knuckle in coupled position; saiddraw-head being adapted to allow inclining the partially withdrawn pinand resting it upon the knuckle, and said knuckle being provided with achannel intersecting the path traced by the pin upon the opening knuckleand arranged to guide the pin to locking position as the knuckle returnsto its coupled position.

2. In a coupler of the class described, the combination with adraw-head, of a knuckle pivoted thereto, a knuckle-locking pin adaptedfor the application of raising force at one side of its axial line, anda lever pivoted to the draw-head and arranged to force the swinging ofthe knuckle; the pin-passage in the draw-head being adapted forinclining the partially withdrawn pin and resting it upon the knuckle,and the latter being provided with a channel to receive the pin as theknuckle opens and to guide it back to lockin g position as the knucklecloses.

8. The combination with a draw-head, of a knuckle pivoted. thereto andprovided with a vertical perforation for the passage of a locking-pin, alocking-pin, means for raising the latter and throwing its lower end outof line with the knuckle-perforation, and means for preventing itsaccidental return to that line until it is freed by the opening of theknuckle.

4. The combination with the draw-head, of the knuckle pivoted theretoand provided with a pin-receiving perforation, with a pinguiding grooveleading to said perforation, and with a projection at one side of thelat ter, a locking-pin, and means for raising the pin and throwing itlaterally aside into engagement with said projection, substantially asset forth.

5. The combination with a draw-head, of a knuckle pivoted therein andprovided with a recess upon its outer side, an independent locking-pinarranged to release the knuckle when raised, and a lever pivoted to thedrawhead and projecting into said recess in position to force theknuckle to open or close, according as said lever is swung in one or theother direction.

In witness whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name, on this 1st dayof November, 1895, in the presence of two witnesses.

HENRY DEITZ. Witnesses:

E. L. PINGREY, E. J. KENT.

